Southern Miss edges FIU 69-68 in 1st round of C-USA Tourney

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Cortez Edwards scored 29 points with seven rebounds and six assists and Southern Mississippi held on to edge Florida International 69-68 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament.

The teams were tied at 55 with 2:51 to play when a Dominic Magee free throw gave Southern Miss the lead for good, and an Edwards layup followed by a D’Angelo Richardson 3-pointer, stretched it to 61-57 with 1:45 left. FIU stayed close and Brian Beard Jr. sank a 3-pointer as time expired for the final score.

Richardson added 11 points for the Golden Eagles and Magee led the team with 14 rebounds and scored nine points.